Race track



Jan. 19, 1965 I A. A. wams'rzm RACE TRACK 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Kpril18, 1962 Fig.

INVENTOR. A.A. WEINSTEIN ATTORNEY 1965 A. A. WEINSTEIN 3,166,314

RACE TRACK Filed April 18, 1962 a Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. A.A.WEINSTEIN ATTORNEY Jan. 19, 1965 A. A. WEINSTEIN RACE TRACK 3Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 18, 1962 INVENTOR. A.A. WEINSTEIN ATTORNEYUnit rte re 3,166,314 RACE TRAiIK Albert A. Weinstein, 2449 SedgwickAve, Bronx, NY.

Fi led Apr. 18, 1962, Ser. NoQISiiAZS 6 Claims. (Cl. 2725-) homestretchand straight backstretch connected by opposed turn portions. An innerhub rail and outer rail define the track or racing area. As is obvious,the shortest distance around the track is along the hub rail, and theusual driver strategy is to obtain a rail position and maintain itthroughout therace. The leadlhorse thus retains the advantage oftraversing the shortest distance. Follovw.

ing horses along the rail have the advantage of reduced wind resistancein following behind the lead horse, but then must pull out from the hubrail during the race, usually along the homestretch, in order topass andvan quish the front runner. Horses running further out from the railhave significantly larger distances to cover and suffer a distincthandicap. More important, however, is that horses running along theoutside frequently box in following horses on the rail preventing themfrom pulling out. As a consequence, strategical positioning rather thanhorse ability frequently determines the outcome of the race. Thisconsequence reduces spectator and bettor interest.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved racetrack affording greater opportunity for following horses to pass thelead horse without being required to negotiate an appreciably longercourse.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an attachment oraccessory construction for existing tracks which is easily andinexpensively added and which increases the chances to win for followinghorses.

These and other objects of the invention are achieved by modifying thehub rail construction leading into the homestretch. In accordance withmy invention, the curved hub rail portion preceding the homestretch,which may also include a short portion extending into the homestretch,is made movable between a first closed position which conforms to theposition occupied in the prior art track, and a second open positionwhere it extends inward over the track toward the outer rail therebynarrowing the turn preceding the homestretch, providing a passing areaor lane along the rail in the homestretch for following horses. One ofthe features of my invention is a movable rail construction providing asmooth transition to the fixed turn rail portions, which avoidsdistractions of horses and drivers. 'Another feature of my invention isthat the running area of existing tracks is unaffected. Only arelatively short length of the hub rail need be reconstructed to achievethe full benefits of my invention. Still a further feature is that themovable rail construction is simple to operate and foolproof in thatoperation, and in no way does it interfere with the running of the racenor with spectator observation of the race.

Other and further objects and advantages of my inven-- tion will be morereadily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferredembodiment thereof when taken together with the. accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a race track in accordance with my invention; t3

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the turn portion preceding thehomestretch showing, diagrammatically, a preferred construction of mymovable rail;

ire

FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views of portions of the movable railillustrating the moving means;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the hinged joint illustrated in FIG. 4 showingthe interference preventing means.

FIG. 6 is a perspective View of a modification;

The track illustrated in FIG. 1 has the usual clo'sed oval shape, whichincludes a straight homestretch 1 opposite a spectator grandstand 2, astraight backstre'tch 3, a curved turn portion 4 connecting thehomestretch 1' and backstretch 3 and preceding the latter, and a curvedturn portion 5 connecting the other ends of the backstretch 3 andhomestretch 1 and preceding the latter. The finish line 6 is usuallynear the end of the homestretch 1. hub rail 8 extends along the inneredge of the running area, and a rail 9 circumscribesv the outer edge ofthe running area.

With this simple geometry, it is readily seen that the shortestdistancearound thetrack is along the hub rail 8, so that the lead horseinvariably occupies that position. The second or third or otherfollowing horses have to pull out from a rail position and swing aroundthe outside of'the lead horse in order to vanquish the latter.

This occurs most often at the beginning of the homestretch, which is, ofcourse, from the spectators view, the most exciting and enjoyable partof the race. Now, in a trotting race, the horse pulls a sulky with awidth of about 3 feet. Thus, the second rail horse has to move out about5 feet to pass the lead horse. The third rail horse, to achieve a frontposition, must move out about 10 feet, a handicap that is rarelyovercome. However, other horses running alongside the second and thirdrail horses may box them in preventing them from challenging the leadhorse. If the second or third horse finding itself in this position isalso the favorite, the spectator reaction is adverse, which is to thedetriment of the sport.

In my invention, before the horses reach the final turn before thehomestretch, the hub rail portion 10 preceding the homestretch is movedoutward 11 (shown in phantom) toward the outer rail 9 narrowing the turnpreceding the hornestretch. Thus, the lead horse following the railenters the homestretch at a point spaced sufficiently far from the hubrail 8 to enable at least one and side one or two passing lanes 12 forfollowing horses in traverse the entire track twice for a full race.With a preferably two additional horses to swing in toward the hub rail3 along the homestretch and hem an unimpeded position to challengethe'leader. Thus, my movable rail construction at the final turn makesavailable on the inaddition to those normally available along theoutside. Boxing in of following horses is minimized by this constructionproviding a truer contest. The dash-dot line construction 11 in FIG. 1illustrates the hub rail position for the final stretch run inaccordance with my invention.

Making the rail section preceding the homestretch movable means that themovement can take place only for the final stretch run, and can takeadvantage of the trotting rules prohibiting lane crossing or excessivemaneuvering by the lead horses. The trotting rules require that the leadhorse in the final stretch maintain a straight course. Moreover, thathappens to be the shortest distance to the finish line. This ensuresthat the newlyopened. inside passing lanes can be effectively utilizedby the following horses. This also explains why the course cannot bepermanently provided with an offset rail portion providing the insidepassing lanes. The usual horse race is one mile in length, but the mostpopular tracks are onehalf mile in length, which means that the horsesmust permanently narrowed turn portion, inside passing lanes wouldbecome open during the middle of the race when no prohibitions onmaneuvering or lane crossing exist.

Such an! arrangement would cause the lead horse to cross lanes and moveover to the hubyrail along the straight portion to ensure his preferredrail position during the remainder of the race. Meanwhile other horseswill be racing along the inside and outside lanes to pass the leadhorse. Excessive maneuvering and interference would result in increasingthe possibility of collisions and acci" dents. Also, a permanentoffset-rail portion may. interfere with proper starting of the raceusing the conventional starting gate which leads the horses around theturn to the starting line. A movable rail portion providing theadditional inside passing lanes only during the final stretch run avoidsthese detriments.

,A-movable rail portion at the turn offers a number of advantages over amovable hub rail along the homestretch' to widen the latter. In thefirst place, moving of the turn rail involves only about 150 feet ofrail, as against about 600 feet if the straight rail portion were moved,which is much more complicated. Also, movement can only occur when thehorses are sufiiciently far away not to be distracted. The longer raillength to be moved along the stretch reduces greatly the time intervalduring which movement will be allowable, Still further, moving of such alarge stretch of rail would also be distracting to the spectators.Finally, when the homestretch is Wid ened, this means that therunning'area has to be correspondingly widened, or the initial railmoved inwar both of which would entail considerable expense.

, FIG. 2 illustrates a preferred rail construction which oife rs theimportant advantage of maintaining a very smooth transition between thefixed and movable rail portions and whichrenders the moved rail portionpractically indistinguishable from the usual rail to the horsesv ordrivers. The fixed hub rail portion along the homestretch and the fixedhub rail portion along the turn is designated 8. These hub rail portions8 are unmoved as in the normal track.

The movable hub rail portion in accordance with my invention isdesignated 10, and, as illustrated in FIG. 2, comprises a curved portionsubtending an angle of (FIG. 1) about 30. It also includes a shortstraight section 14, so that the horses are travelling straight when theadditional inside passing lanes 12 become available. Themovable curvedportion can be varied from a small length subtending an angle 0 of about15, to a longer length subtending an angle 0 of about 90. Longer movablelengths complicate unduly the means for effecting the movement butminimize the rate of change at the transition region. Below 15 it isvery difiicult to make avail able two inside passing lanes and avoid asharp discontinuity between the fixed hub rail at the turn and themovable section, which would distract drivers. and horses. About a 30section provides two inside passing lanes without undue distraction.

The movable rail comprises three sections, a straight section 14 at thestretch 1 permanently united with a curved section 15 and movingtogether with it as a unit, and a straight hinged section 16, which inthe closed position shown in solid lines in FIG. 2 extends in an offsetposition of? the running area inside the rail 8. This extra rail section16 is necessary because the movable rail length in the closed position(solid lines) is shorter than the rail length in the open position 11(phantom). In FIG. 2 also is shown how the movable rail position 11makes available additional passing lanes 12 on the inside. The leadhorse will. follow the arrow 17, which represents the shortest distanceto the finish line. The second horse along the rail can go inside oroutside. If boxed in, it can go inside following the arrow 17'. Thismakes the path of the arrow 17" available for still another horse.

The means for moving the movable rail 10 between its closed and openpositions are shown diagrammatically in FIG. 2. These means includethree tracks 20 and v 50, two of which are similar, anchored or embeddedin v the ground, along which run carriages connected to the movable rail10 for shifting it between its two positions. FIG. 3 shows, inperspective, a preferred arrangement the position of the horses. Themanual mechanism shown has the advantage of simplicity and low cost. Therail section shown corresponds to the inside of the curved section 15.It is shown being supported in part by a series of spring-mounted wheels21 so as to clear the ground by a few inches. The horses run, of course,along the side facing the vertical fiat portion 22., The sup portingwheels 21 may be of any construction suitable for the purpose which isto support the rail and move.

freely across the running area. As shown, it may comprise a pair ofsupporting members 23, 24 rigidly secured to the underside of the rail15. The support 24 is hollow for receiving a wheel mount 25 as a piston.The mount 25 has a yoke section 26 on which is journaled a wheel 27. Aspring 28 extending between the element 24 and the yoke 26 resilientlycarries the rail load. The wheel support 25 is free to moveup and downwithin the cylinder 24, and is. also free to rotate and is thus abletofollow the rail motion. Preferably the wheels 27 have balloon-tires toroll easily over an uneven sur-' face, or a sharp disc-shape to cuteasily through any' clumps of earth created by the horses hoofs.

Rigidly connected 3th to the horizontal rail portion 15 is a drive rodor element 31, the opposite end of which forms part of a carriage 32which may be manually reciprocated along a track 33. The track 33comprises a section of angle iron 34 secured to the ground at op positeends by concrete stanchions 35, 36 anchored to the ground. Mounted alongthe edges of the track 33 are a pair of guide rails and supports 37providing guide channels 38 through which may slide a pair of verticalsupports 39 secured to the end of the drive rod 31. Also secured to theend of the drive rod 31 is a yoke structure 49 in which is journaled forfree rotation a large carriage wheel 41 having a V-groove 42 along itsperiphery for engaging the track 33. A push bar 43 is secured to theyoke 40. A lock mechanism is mounted on the carriage 32 for locking itin position at the two end points of its reciprocating path. The lockcomprises a pair of latch members 45 pivotally mounted on the yoke 4-0and extending in opposite directions as shown. Each of the latch members45 has a cammed surface 46 leading to a recessed portion 47, and ahandle 48. The

g stanchions 35 and 36 are in turn provided with cooperating camsurfaces 49, 44, respectively. When the carriage reaches the end of itsmotion, a cam 46 on a latch 45 will strike the cam surface 49, 44, rideup it until the recess 47 is reached, and then fall down, locking thecarriage in position. To release the lock, the handle 48 is raised. Itwill thus be seen that movement of the car riage 32 will cause themovable rail section 10 to be' moved from its closed posiiton to itsopen position, and back. As will be seen more clearly in FIG. 2, fromthe closed position shown in solid lines, the straight section 14 andadjacent curved section 15 move directly out over the running area intothe open position shown in phantom, where they are held in fixedposition by the two locked carriages 32 associated with the two tracks20. During this movement, the hinged extra rail section 16,

which is straight, is pulled out from its offset position and forms theconnecting link between the fixed hub rail 8 along the turn and the endof the curved rail section 15 in the open position. The fixed rail 8 iscurved, usually a circular arc, so forms a tangent to that curvedsection 8,"providing a smooth transition, and also formsa tangent to thecurved section 15 of the movable r-ail, providing a smooth transitionthere also. change in the rail is a short straight portion 16 tangent toand intervening between two gentlycurved portions that the straightsection 16 Thus, in the open positionjthe only r o 8 and 15. Such agradual and smooth transition is hardly noticeable to the drivers orhorses.

FIG. 4 illustrates the arrangement of the hinged section 16 and themeans for moving it. The hinged section 16 is shown in the'openposition. It is connected to a carriage 51 similar to that illustratedin FIG. 3. The carriage rides on a rail 52 anchored to the ground, andhas a latch 53 for cooperation with a stanchion 54 anchoring one end ofthe rail 52 for locking the carriage. The carriage 51-is pivotallyconnected at 55 to the rail section 16 by means of an L-shaped rod 56which enables the section 16 to clear the forward stanchion 54 when therail section 16 is pulled inward to close the movable rail 14]. Therailsection 16 is supported by the usual spring-mounted wheels 21.

To close the movable rail 10, the latch 53 is released, and the railsection 16 pulled inward to the right of and alongside the track 50, asshown in FIG. 2. As the adjacent rail section 15 is pulled inward, it isdrawn towards the fixed rail section 8. To restore the original rail, inthe closed position, the hinged end 56 of the rail section 15 must abutagainst the end 57 of the fixed rail 8. But, without further expedients,the top rail piece 58 at the hinged end of the rail section 16 willinterfere with the corresponding rail section at the fixed rail 8. Thisinterference is avoided by the following construction at the hinged end.The end of the curved rail section 15 has a vertical plate 60 (see alsoFIG.

secured to it, along the inside edge of which are provided alignedtubular sections 61. The adjacent end of the rail section 16 has anL-shaped vertical plate 62 secured to it. The adjacent rail section 63is vertically displaceable a distance equal to the thickness of thehorizontal rail board. This is accomplished by providing depending pins64 secured to the underside of the rail portion 63 and engaging openingsin the vertical plate 62. The other end of the rail section 63 has avertical plate 65 also provided with aligned tubular sections 66.Coupling the tubular sections 61 and 66 together is a hinge pin 67 withenlarged ends. As will be observed, clearance is provided along the pin67 for the section 63 to be moved downward a short distance against theupward pressure imparted by compression springs 68 surrounding thedepending pins 64. The section 63 can be locked in the down position byrotating a handle 69 mounted in the member 63 over it to prevent it frommoving up. The section 63 moves as a unit with the rail section 16, theforce being transmitted through the L-block 62 and depending pins 64.The entire rail section 16 which includes the rail section 63 can alsopivot about the hinge joint formed around the pin 67. The hinged jointalso acts to transmit motions between the ofiset rail section 16 and theadjacent rail section 15.

To close the movable rail 10, the rail section 63 is depressed andlocked with the handle 69 in the depressed position. Thus, as theadjacent rail section 15 swings toward the fixed rail 8 for theends 56'and 57 to abut, the depressed section 63 slides underneath thehorizontal rail member of the fixed rail 8, allowing a smooth unin-Iterrupted joint. This position is shown in FIG. 5. The handle 69 canthen be released. When the movable rail is swung out into the openposition, the section 63 will automatically return to its up positionwhen the fixed v rail 8 is cleared. The tubular sections 61 limit theupward motion.

While the construction illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 is preferred, thereare other constructions that may be employed for removing the extra railsection 16 from the path of the adjacent rail section 15 closing to meetthe fixed rail 8. For example, if asmall depression in the top rail lineis not objectionable, then the depressable section 63 can be builtpermanently in the down position, eliminating all the moving parts,except the hinge. Also, if desired, the space can be filled up, in theopen position of the rail. 10, with a generally sector-shaped pieceeither hinged along the inside and hand-pivoted intotion 16, in analternative construction illustrated in FIG.

6, the opposite end also may be hinged to the end of the fixed railportion 8. With this arrangement, the center of the extra rail section,designated 71 in this figure is folded -'up, like in an accordion, outof the path of the engaging rail sections 15 and 8. As is illustrated inFIG. 6, the extra section 71 is divided or split into two portions 72and 73 hinged 74 at their junction. The hinge 74 is located on theoutside rail surface and may be recessed if desired. The curved railsection 15 is hinged at 75 to the adjacent end of thesection 72, and theother split section 73 is hinged at 76 to the fixed rail 8 but inward ofthe edge 57 to abut the edge 56' of the curved section 15. The top railof, the split section 73 has a downward step 77 fitting underneath thefixed rail 8,- as shown. To place the movable rail in the closedposition, the split section 71 is pulled inward, and the movablecarriages 32 pulling the curved section 15 will cause the until the edge56' abuts against the mating edge 57 of the fixed ran 8. To place in theopen position, the split section 71 should be forced into a straightposition and can be suitably held therein.

An example, which is not to be considered as limiting, of the dimensionsof a movable rail in accordance with my invention for a recommendedTrotting Association one-half mile track now follows. The rail parts maybe conventional, comprising about 20" and 8" boards joined at theirjunction to form the well-known L-shaped hub rail. For an angle 0 equalto about 30, the straight rail section 14 is about 10 feet, the curvedrail section 15 about 120 feet in length, and the extra rail section 16about 30 feet in length. The section 14 at the stretch is easily movedinward over the track a distance of 15 feet providing two inside passinglanes 12. The rail transitions from curved 8, to straight 16, to curved15, to straight 14 are hardly noticeable and will not distract horses ordrivers.

It will be clear from the foregoing that my invention olfers a distinctimprovement over existing tracks, especially for. one-half mile tracksfor harness racing. It enables at relatively low cost and with littledisturbance of existing facilities improved race tracks providing lesschance for boxing in of strong contenders and in general a truer contestaffording greater spectator enjoyment.

While I have described my invention in connection with specificembodiments and applications, other modifications thereof'will'bereadily apparent to those skilled in this art without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A race track comprising a generally fixed oval track having straighthomestretch and backstretch portions interconnected by curved turnportions, a hub rail extending around the track along the inside edgeand conforming to the shape of the track a portion of said hub railalong a turn portion preceding the homestretch portion being separablefrom the remainder and being movable, said movable portion comprising acurved section substantially to. the curved section, and means formoving the said movable rail portion from a first position wherein thecurved section connects together the fixed rail portion on the. turn andthe fixed rail portion on the homestretch and the straight sectionextends inside the hub rail, to an open position Whereinthe straightsection forms a tangent to the fixed rail portion on the turn andlto thecurved section and the latter extends over the track running 7,. areaspaced outward from the fixed rail portion on the homestretch afiordingan additional passing lane on the insidesubstantially'at the beginningof the homestretch portion.

2. A track as set forth in claim 1 wherein the straight section ishingedly joined to the curved section, the portion of said straight railsection adjacent the hinge being movable to prevent interference withthe fixed rail portion on the turn when the movable rail portion ismoved to' the closed position; I

' 3. A track as set forth in claim 1 wherein the curved sectionterminates in a short straight portion adjacent the homestretch.

4. A race track comprising a generally fixed oval track having straighthomestretch and backstretch portions interconnected by curved turnportions, a hub rail extending around the track along the inside edgeand conforming to the shape of the track, the portion of said hub railalong the turn portion preceding the homestretch portion being movablefrom a first position alongside the inner edge of the track to a secondposition on the track whereby the said preceding turn portion isnarrowed relative to the homestretch portion providing a wider area forpassing at the beginning of the homestretch, said movable rail portionextending substantially from the beginning of the straight homestretchportion along the curved turn portion over an arc substending an anglebetween about 15 and 90 and comprising a straight-section hingedlyjoined to a curved section, means for positioning the straight sectioninward of the hub rail in offset position and the curved section to'forma smooth transition to the fixed rail portions, means for moving themovable rail portion over the track running area drawing the straightsection to a position forming a smooth transition to the fixed railportion along the turn and forming a smooth transition to the curvedsection extending out-' ference preventing means comprises a verticallymovable portion of the straight section adjacent the hinge.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 920,346 5/09Kronenberger 2725' 1,634,326 7/27 Jennings 272-5 2,757,930 8/56 White etal. 272-5 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. DELBERT B. LOWE,Examiner.

1. A RACE TRACK COMPRISING A GENERALLY FIXED OVAL TRACK HAVING STRAIGHTHOMESTRETCH AND BACKSTRETCH PORTIONS INTERCONNECTED BY CURVED TURNPORTIONS, A HUB RAIL EXTENDING AROUND THE TRACK ALONG THE INSIDE EDGEAND CONFORMING TO THE SHAPE OF THE TRACK A PORTION OF SAID HUB RAILALONG A TURN PORTION PRECEDING THE HOMESTRETCH PORTION BEING SEPARABLEFROM THE REMAINDER AND BEING MOVABLE, SAID MOVABLE PORTION COMPRISING ACURVED SECTION SUBSTANTIALLY ADJACENT THE HOMESTRETCH PORTION AND ASTRAIGHT SECTION REMOTE FROM THE HOMESTRETCH PORTION MOVABLY CONNECTEDTO THE CURVED SECTION, AND MEANS FOR MOVING THE SAID MOVABLE RAILPORTION FROM A FIRST POSITION WHEREIN THE CURVED SECTION CONNECTSTOGETHER THE FIXED RAIL PORTION ON THE TURN AND THE FIXED RAIL PORTIONON THE HOMESTRETCH AND THE STRAIGHT SECTION EXTENDS INSIDE THE HUB RAIL,TO AN OPEN POSITION WHEREIN THE STRAIGHT SECTION FORMS A TANGENT TO THEFIXED RAIL PORTION ON THE TURN AND TO THE CURVED SECTION AND THE LATTEREXTENDS OVER THE TRACK RUNNING AREA SPACED OUTWARD FROM THE FIXED RAILPORTION ON THE HOMESTRETCH AFFORDING AN ADDITIONAL PASSING LANE ON THEINSIDE SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE HOMESTRETCH PORTION.